Cruise to Love
by Stacey1013
Summary: Gabriella needed to get away from her life in NYC, so books herself onto a two week cruise. Troy quit his job, and soon found himself forced onto a cruise ship with his best friend. Destination: Love. T


**A/N: I found this on my computer when I couldnt sleep, and decided to finish it as one chapter and see where it takes me. It had been sitting on my drive for about a year, and came to me when I was still studying - we were doing a unit on Cruising at the time. Enjoy!**

**Summary: Gabriella needed an escape, after a rough break up with her two timing boyfriend and her mother's re-marriage to a total jerk, she needed to get away. So, with all of her savings she books herself a holiday. But not any holiday, one that involves nothing but ocean. In other words, she's on a cruise. What she didn't expect, however, was to fall in love.**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do you really think I'm sitting here writing fan fiction when I actually own the rights to HSM and Disney? Yeah, I didn't think so either =P**

Quickly downing the rest of her drink, she looked up at the bartender and ordered the exact same thing, not caring what it would cost her.

"This is your 3rd cocktail, miss. Are you sure you want another?" the barman asked, raising an eyebrow at the timid brunette on the other side of the bar.

She nodded, "It's not like I have to drive anywhere" she said with a shrug, watching as the barman went off to make her drink with a nod.

Taking the time to look around the cocktail bar, she noticed that more people have entered from when she first sat down an hour ago. The ship had now been underway for 6 hours, departing at exactly noon from New York. Where it was heading? She didn't care, as long as it was away from New York.

In all truth, it was heading to Europe. And it'll take exactly 14 days to get there, that she was thankful for. She needed that much time to think things over and decide what to do once the ship docks.

"Here you go" said a voice from behind her, who she recognized as the barman. Turning around confirmed that as he slid her across as freshly made cocktail. She smiled at him gently, taking said cocktail in her hands before starting to wander around the lounge for a good look, since the ship would be her new home for the next 13 nights.

The cocktail bar was small, but joined onto the large dining room lounge where poker would be played by men in suits, smoking cigars. Tables and chairs scattered the small bar area, and stools situated around the neon-colored counter, which seemed to change colors every time you blink. A disco ball hung from the ceiling, right in the center of the bar and music was playing the background, only a few couples were on the small dance floor at this time, but it was still early. Most people would be checking out there cabins, or trying to locate one of the four swimming pools on board.

Suddenly deciding a swim sounded like a good idea, she put her near-empty cocktail glass down on a near-by table before leaving the cocktail bar, through the diners lounge – a small detour wouldn't hurt.

The lounge wasn't all too exciting right now .just empty couches and folded away poker tables along with an empty buffet. It wasn't set to open until the next day, seeing as the ship only set sailed earlier today.

Gabriella walked along the deck, trying to find the port side pool on the upper deck. Seeing as the ship had four pools, it was hard to determine which were for kids. So. After asking a crew member she found out that the 'port pool' was the best for adults, seeing as the 'starboard pool' was an adult pool, with a water slide for the teenagers. Why she came on a cruise that allowed kids and teenagers? She didn't know, but at least it was away from New York.

It was now nearing 8pm, so the decks were basically empty as children were put to bed, and adults were enjoying the time alone.

Coming across the large swimming pool, her eyes doubled in size as she saw how beautiful it looked with all the lights surrounding it. Setting her towel on a table nearby she smiled slightly noticing that there were only two other people using the pool. She walked over to the deeper end of the pool, testing the water with her toes first (you never know, the heating may be broken) she took a breath and dived in perfectly, swimming her sorrows away.

* * *

Troy Bolton looked around his cabin and nodded in acceptance at the small double berth – or bed, small bedside table and ensuite bathroom. It was small, but it'd do. Beats sharing with a total stranger, or with his best friend.

Seeing as he was dragged to the on-board bar by his best friend when they first boarded, he hadn't seen any more of the ship. So, thinking now was the best time to explore the ship, he grabbed his door key from the bedside table and left to go explore the large ship.

Walking past his friend's room, he stopped for a minute debating if he should invite his friend along for the small tour of the ship. Thinking his friend would probably be at the bar again anyway, he continued down the hallway before walking through a pair of large screen doors – taking him onto the main deck.

Taking in some of the fresh sea air as he walked outside, he smiled to himself. He couldn't thank his friend enough for persuading him to go on the cruise with him. Even if said friend just wanted to drink, eat and be merry – on sea, Troy couldn't help but think that this was exactly what he needed. After working non-stop for the last 3 years, with only Christmas off, he really deserved a break. And this was it.

After seeing his parents through a messy divorce, he moved to New York after landing a job at a top Newspaper agency, writing for the sports column. It was his dream job, after injuring his knee back in college he realized he couldn't play basketball anymore, so this was the next best thing. But with writing the sports column, came a lot of travelling between states to witness the big sport events first hand. And along with flights, schedules and interviews came actually writing the articles. To say it was draining is an understatement.

So, the day his friend came up with the idea of going on a cruise together was the day Troy Bolton quit his job, thinking a cruise to Europe could be the start of new beginnings. He had contacts, so finding a job shouldn't be too hard, he had enough money to support himself until he found a job, and on top of it, he had his best friend with him.

Taking in another deep breath, he smiled to himself as he came across the port side of the ship. He knew that this was where one of the swimming pools was, and it was also where the bar he was in earlier was.

Taking a glance at the pool, he noticed the lights made it seem even more inviting. But he wasn't in the mood for a swim, not yet at least. He wanted to continue on his tour first.

He saw that the other side of the pool was the sundeck, which he saw before from the bar, so with a swift motion he turned around, only to be met by a quiet yelp.

* * *

After swimming a few laps of the pool, clearing her head from everything Gabriella decided that it was time to get out of the pool and head back to her room. Slowly swimming to the stairs of the pool, she looked around as she did so, seeing that not many people were around at this time. She found it...Peaceful. It won't be like this tomorrow night though, she thought to herself.

She got out of the pool and made her way to her abandoned towel, where on her way she noticed a guy observing the pool area. He was standing in front of the table where her towel was located, and as she tried to reach around him to get the towel, she was met by him turning around quickly, making his hand go into her stomach, making her yelp suddenly at the contact.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there" a voice came, making her lift her head to where the voice came from.

"It's fine, I uh...Just want my towel" she said, laughing slightly at how stupid that sounded, considering she was dripping wet.

The blue eyed, sandy brown head guy looked at the table next to him and nodded slowly. "Right, sorry" he said with a small chuckle as he handed her the towel.

"Thanks" Gabriella said, taking the towel from him, offering him a small smile as she started drying her hair.

Nodding slightly he offered her a smile in return, "Are you sure your okay? I really didn't mean to hurt you…"

Gabriella cut him off with a small laugh, "I'm fine, really. I just wasn't expecting you to turn around"

"I'm Troy by the way" he said, introducing himself as he outstretched a hand.

"Gabriella" she smiled, removing her hand from its place in her hair to shake his hand.

Troy nodded, ignoring the small spark that shot through his arm as they shook hands. "I'll let you go, don't want you to get sick on our first night here" he said with a small smile, seeing her shiver slightly from the small sea breeze.

Gabriella nodded, smiling. "Thanks, I'll uh..see you around I guess" she said, offering him another smile as she turned and walked back down the deck to her cabin.

Troy stayed in his spot, watching her go as he smiled to himself thinking back to the small spark that ran through his arm.

Little did he know, but Gabriella felt it also.

* * *

The cruise liner had now been at sea for a total of 4 days, and Troy and Gabriella had yet to see each other again. Troy had tried numerous times to find the brunette he met by the pool a few days ago, but luck didn't seem to be on his side. There were only so many places one could be on a ship, but there was still no sign of Gabriella.

The last 3 days were fill with Chad – Troy's so called best friend, nagging him about hooking up with some random girl in the on board bar, since Troy hadn't had a girlfriend in…3 years. His job didn't allow time for sleeping, let alone being involved in a relationship. Chad just really wanted Troy to be happy, and in Chad's world happy consists of beer, sex and basketball.

Troy was used to this type of behavior from his best friend though, since the two had known each other since preschool. Well, maybe not the beer and sex bit, that started kicking in when the two started high school and it progressed from there. Basketball however, had always been a big part of both boys life – both playing for their high school team, with Troy as Captain, Chad as Co Captain and Troy's father, Jack the coach. This was back when Troy's family was actually a family. His family didn't even know he was on this cruise right now.

"Dude, I'm not too keen on hitting the bar tonight. I might go to wander around the decks, maybe shoot some pool if anyone's around" Troy told his friend with a shrug as he sat on the small couch in his friends room.

Chad raised an eyebrow, "Are you kidding me? The ships got the best beer in the world, and your giving that up for a wander and some pool?" he scoffed, "Dude, you need to get laid"

"Says the one who spends all his free time in the bar"

Chad rolled his eyes at Troy's retort, "Dude this beer isn't available on shore, and I'm going to drink as much of it as I can while we're here"

Troy shook his head slowly, "Your pathetic" he mumbled under his breath, "Just don't expect me to carry your drunk ass back here everyday" he said, "I have some things I want to try out and maybe go see, and I don't need you in my way"

"Yes maam, I'll just pull my berth into the bar. Problem solved" Chad grinned loving his idea. "Why do they call it a berth anyway? It's not like a woman has…uh, never mind" he said, cutting his sentence short realizing he didn't want to finish that sentence off.

Troy shook his head, standing up. "I'll catch you later man, think I'm gonna wander over to the other side of the ship. See what's happening down there" he told his friend for the sake of it.

"Fine, be a party pooper" Chad scoffed, rolling his eyes as he saw Troy's small wave before he disappeared down the hall. Chad sighed, shaking his head slightly at the fact he'd be drinking alone, "Maybe I need to get laid too…"

Walking down the Starboard side of the ship Gabriella started to hum softly to herself as she came across the onboard basketball court. She raised an eyebrow and watched as a group of guys we're playing a game which looked to be 3 on 3. What made her smirk inwardly was the fact it was a shirt vs. skins game, this made her want to watch. She had nothing else planned after all

She moved around the caged area, which separated the court from the bleachers and the side of the ship. There were a few people already sitting on the bleachers, some enjoying the sun whilst reading a book, some hoping to join in one the game soon, and some observers.

"Time out" a voice called from the court, panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath. "I need a drink" he said with a slight chuckle, running over to the small opening in the gate that allowed him to get his water bottle from the bottom of the bleachers.

The other players nodded, agreeing to the time out. Some players stayed on the court, obviously not needing a drink, while others followed the player who called time out.

Gabriella watched the players as they reached for their water bottles and couldn't help but wonder why they were playing on such a hot day. She soon shrugged the thought off, realizing that there were four swimming pools onboard that they could cool down in later if they choose to.

The player, who called a time out, looked up at the bleachers and his eyes widened slightly when he recognized the brunette, sitting with her legs crossed as she watched the players on court. He smiled inwardly as she felt his gaze, turning to him before realizing it was the boy from the other night, the one she hadn't stopped thinking about him.

It didn't help that he was playing _against _the shirts.

He smiled softly at her, sending her a quick wink before jogging back onto the court, hoping she'd stick around so he could talk to her after the game.

Seeing his wink, Gabriella smiled a bit, but couldn't help but blush. Was it directed at her, or someone behind her? She wasn't sure, but that tingly feeling she had gotten when they shook hands a few days ago was back. She decided it was a good thing.

The game was soon underway once again, and from the hollering coming from the skins' about ten minutes later, obviously meant that they had won the game. She smiled a bit, standing as she saw the two teams congratulate each other on a good game before she descended the stairs, taking this as her cue to leave.

She started descending the stairs, raising a hand to her eyes to shield them from the now setting sun. She soon removed her hand as she came to the bottom of the stairwell, and looked back at the court, seeing the guys absently chatting away about the game they had just played. As she turned to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her spin around in surprise.

"Didn't think you'd leave without saying congrats' did you?" Troy teased, looking at her with a cocked eyebrow.

Gabriella smiled softly, noticing that he had now put on a white wife beater. She looked up at him and shrugged, "I wasn't really paying attention to the game" she said, suddenly blushing when she saw him smirk.

"Really? Then what _were _you paying attention to?" he asked, keeping that smirk on his face.

Gabriella rolled her eyes at his question, "I was just exploring the Starboard side of the ship and came across the court" she said with a shrug, "Thought I could use a sit down" she continued, looking at him. "Anyway, I should get going. Nice seeing you again Troy" she said with a small smile, turning to leave once again.

"Wait!"

She turned around, raising an eyebrow at him when she saw his nervous expression.

"Have dinner with me tonight" he asked, looking at her directly in the eye.

Gabriella looked at him, "What?"

"Have dinner with me. Tonight, in the restaurant"

She thought about this, looking at him before nodding slowly. "Uh…sure" she said, smiling softly. "First or second seating?" she asked him, smirking slightly as he looked at her with a confused look. "There's an early dinner at 6.30, or the later one at 8.30" she told him, clearly he didn't read the information on the cruise they we're given with the tickets.

"Oh right. Uh…second seating? Less people around, and I have to grab a shower and stuff anyway" he said with a shrug, smiling at her.

She nodded, "Sounds good" she said.

"What cabin are you? I'll come get you" he offered, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead as he spoke.

"Oh uh...626 but you don't have to" she told him quickly, not wanting to make a fuss.

"I want to. And it's just down the hall from me anyway; I'm 656" he told her with a small smile.

Gabriella nodded, "Okay, sure" she said, returning the smile.

"So I'll come get you at around 8?" he asked, looking at her as he took a sip of his water that he was still holding.

Gabriella couldn't help but smile, "Sure, guess I'll see you then…" she said, turning away for good this time before grinning to herself.

She had a good feeling about tonight.

* * *

It was now 7.30 and Gabriella was running around, trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to dinner tonight. She had half an hour until Troy was due to arrive at her cabin, and needless to say she was freaking out.

By the time she got back to her cabin, it was already nearing 7 o'clock. She jumped into the shower and quickly washed her hair before starting to apply her makeup – which didn't really take her that long. It was the clothes she had trouble with, now she only wished she bought her best friend on the cruise with her.

With clothes thrown in every direction from her suitcase and her small closet, she let out a relived sigh as she came across a simple dress that she had packed. The dress itself wasn't anything special, but with the right shoes and purse it could be the perfect outfit – one that she's comfortable in, and one that doesn't make her seem like a slut.

After throwing the dress over her head, she looked over at the full length mirror and inspected her choice of dress for the evening. She nodded with satisfaction before moving into the tiny bathroom where her hair straightness' should be heating up.

After straightening her hair quickly she inspected her work in the mirror and smiled before putting some product in it to make sure it stayed that way during the night. Exiting the bathroom, she sat on the edge of her bed as she put some jewelry and her shoes on before taking one last look in the full length mirror. She glanced at the time quickly and just as she did so there was a knock on the door.

She smiled to herself, quickly fixing her necklace and smoothing down her dress before getting her purse from the computer desk where she had left it before. She soon opened the door and smiled as she saw Troy standing there wearing a blue button up shirt which made his eyes seem even more bluer, and simple black pants. "I uh...would've bought flowers but the boutique was closed and I doubt there is another one near-by" he said with a small laugh, before letting his eyes lower themselves to see what she was wearing.

"Wow…" he mumbled, letting his eyes travel back north to meet hers.

Gabriella laughed slightly, "You look pretty wow yourself" she teased, "And don't worry about the flowers. I'm not much of a flower girl" she smiled, "Shall we go?" she asked, quickly grabbing her jacket from the hanger on the door.

Troy nodded, "We shall" he smiled, extending his arm to her once she had gotten her jacket and closed the door behind her.

"I've heard great reviews about the restaurant" he boasted as they started walking towards the main dining area. "And I'm not just saying that because I know the head chef" he added quickly with a laugh.

Gabriella looked at him, "You know the head chef?"

Troy nodded, "Zeke? Yeah, we went to high school together" he told her smiling. "Actually one of the reasons we chose to go on this cruise. Try out his new recipes" he grinned, "I actually talked to him earlier today, and he's reserved us a good spot so we can watch the entertainment while we eat" he added.

Gabriella nodded, "Sounds good" she smiled, seeing the restaurant come into view.

Troy soon stopped walking and opened the door for Gabriella with a fake curtsy, making Gabriella giggle as she entered the dining hall.

Taking a seat at the table that Zeke had reserved for them earlier, Troy and Gabriella fell into easy conversation about their lives - that was before the entertainment started. Both Troy and Gabriella turned their attention to the stage, occasionaly looking at eachother with a snmall smile as the night progressed.

After dinner, Troy had asked Gabriella if she'd like to walk around the deck with him, which she had accepted. So after paying the bill and leaving a small tip for the waiter, both Troy and Gabriella found themselves slowly walking the deck of the ship.

"Let's play 20 questions" Troy said, smirking slightly at her raised eyebrow. "So we can get to know each other better" he continued. "We could only talk so much in the restaurant before the entertainment started" he shrugged.

Gabriella thought about this and nodded, "Okay sure. But not 20 questions, 10" she told him.

Troy nodded slowly, "Alright, I'll take what I can get" he smiled

Gabriella nodded. "Okay, shoot"

"Favorite color?"

"Easy. Red" she told him, shrugging.

"Okay, that was an easy one. Uh…why choose a cruise holiday over any other holiday?"

"To get away from New York and everyone in it" she said quietly, suddenly finding the ground more interesting than anything else.

Troy nodded slowly at her answer, "What happened in New York?" he asked.

Gabriella took a breath, knowing that this question was coming. She slowly looked up at him and gave him a small, reassuring smile "My ex was an ass, and my mom married a ass. Next question" she said simply.

Troy took her answer quickly, knowing she didn't want to continue on with that particular question.

"Country you want to visit most?"

"New Zealand"

"Ooh nice. Why New Zealand?" he asked, looking at her.

"I love learning about different cultures. And that seems like the perfect place to learn about more than one" she said, smiling a bit. "And my parents had their honeymoon there" she informed him.

Troy smiled, nodding. "Um...what happened to your father?" he asked, hoping he wasn't getting too personal with his questions.

Gabriella smiled at him, telling him that it was okay. "He died when I was 17. Car accident"

Smiling a bit, Troy thought about his next question. "Any hidden talents?" he asked, looking at her as they continued walking.

"Well, uh…I can sing. But haven't done so since dad's funeral" she said. "Well, not in public at least"

Taking in her answer, he smiled nodding in satisfaction. "Okay, that was number eight" he told her, seeing that they we're nearing the opposite side of the ship – where the cabin's were located.

"Would you sing for me one day?" he asked, looking at her.

"If you play your cards right, maybe" she said, smirking slightly.

Troy chuckled, nodding. "Okay…" he said, drawing out the word as he looked out at the surrounding ocean, snapping back into reality when he felt a nudge against his side.

"You still have one question left" Gabriella smiled, now stopping there walk as they came across where the cabins we're located.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

Gabriella shrugged, "Don't have anything planned as of yet. Might check out the onboard shops" she smiled.

"Want to have lunch?"

"I believe the game was 10 questions, not 11 "she teased, "But yes, lunch sounds great" she smiled.

Troy chuckled at het teasing before smiling, "Great. I uh...have one more question"

Gabriella raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what else he could possibly ask. But soon found her gasping at his question.

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?"

"I uh…why don't you find out for yourself?" She said, shocking herself with her answer and where the sudden confidence boost came from. She was soon knocked out of her thoughts when she found Troy's lips on hers, kissing her softly making her close her eyes slowly.

Returning the kiss, she felt Troy put a hand on her waist making her smile into the kiss as she moved closer to him. She soon felt Troy pull away and she looked at him, smiling, which he soon returned.

"So I guess this means you get to ask me 12 questions" he said softly, grinning at her. Gabriella nodded, "I think it does" she smirked, resuming their walk once again.

Gabriella thought about her first question, looking at him once it had registered in her head. "Worst pick up line you've used?" she asked, looking at him with a smirk when he laughed.

"That's your question?" he asked, looking at her. After seeing her nod he sighed, "Okay, so I didn't actually _want_ to use this...but I was dared to, and I got 100 bucks for doing so" he explained with a shrug. "Is heaven missing a few angels? Because I can see a couple floating under your top"

Gabriella soon burst out laughing, "Oh my god..Are you serious?" she said, looking at him. "Who dared you?" she asked.

"You do realize those we're questions?" he teased, smirking. "My best friend, who...I'm supposed to be on this cruise with" he said with a laugh. "It was in high school, but I'll never forget it"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "I knew that" she said, waving the question comment off as nothing. She still had 9 questions after all

"Okay, next question" She exclaimed, looking at him as she felt him slow the walk down. "Favorite Movie?"

"The Goonies, it's a classic" he answered simply.

Gabriella nodded, "Okay, uh…favorite sport?"

"I think you already know the answer to that" he teased.

"Basketball?" she answered for him, smiling to herself when he nodded.

She thought hard about her next question. "Okay, so..if you had the choice. Would you rather date Paris Hilton, or Nicole Ritchie?" she asked, grinning.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her. "Neither" he shrugged.

"What, why?"

"That's another question" he taunted, pointing at her grinning when she rolled her eyes once again. "Because...Neither of them are brunette" he said, smiling at Gabriella.

Gabriella smiled at him, noting that she herself was brunette.

"You still have 3 questions"

Gabriella nodded, "Right..Uh. Why did you choose to come on the cruise?" she asked, repeating his earlier question to her.

"Well, I'd been working full time for a few years without a real holiday. So when my so called best friend said we should go on a cruise, I quit my job, and here I am" he shrugged. "Guess I figured that there was a whole world out there rather than just various states of America"

"You travelled a lot?" came Gabriella's next question, following up his previous answer.

"Yeah, kind of came with the job" he said with a laugh. "I didn't mind it, but...it got tiring" he told her.

Gabriella smiled, looking at him. Although they had only known each other for a few days...Nearly a week, she felt herself drawn to him. His eyes' were not only the brightest blue she had ever seen, but they held emotion. When they held hands, when they kissed, she felt a spark shoot though her as if lightning had just struck her. She thought hard about her last question, before lifting her head slightly to get a good look at him

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Troy's eyes widened slightly when he heard her question, looking down at her. He couldn't help but smile at the look of innocence in her eyes, and nodded slowly. "Yeah…I do" he said softly, looking into her eyes before allowing his mouth drop to hers.

She smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. His hands automatically made their way to her waist, making the space between them disappear.

Gabriella pulled away from the kiss before it could go any further. She looked at him and smiled, "I have one more question…" she told him quietly.

Troy opened his eyes, looking at her as she spoke before raising a brow. Gabriella smirked, seeing his confused expression before speaking.

"Your cabin or mine?"

**this was a test posting. Let me know if you would like me to continue :)**


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